What About Us?
Focusing On "Us" For A Change
Like most things in life, when it comes to politics, Iām a free-thinking, independent type. And when it comes to political ānewsā and "parties,ā I prefer to be tardy. Just like I was in high school. Politics, in my opinion, are easier to comprehend and digest as seen through the lens of a rearview mirror.
WORDS I WISH I WROTE
āI hate all politics. I don't like either political party. One should not belong to them - one should be an individual, standing in the middle. Anyone that belongs to a party stops thinking.ā
Ray Bradbury
That said, I wish I had been in the room when P!nk (along with her daughter Willow) took the stage at the Democratic National Convention last night and sang one of my favorite songs: āWhat About Us.ā
Itās probably best I wasnāt there. And not just because I donāt consider myself a Democrat (or a Republican or a Libertarian or a member of any political party). Itās because I would have cried in front of too many people (and cameras).
Itās bad enough I sang along and sobbed while watching the performance online, in the middle of the night, on my iPad. (For the record, I consider myself one of the searchlights P!nk sings about, but I still have trouble seeing in the dark. You too?)
Written by Steve Mac, P!nk, and Johnny McDaid, āWhat About Usā is a powerful, soulful anthem. For me, itās also a fierce reminder that āWe The Peopleā desperately need to focus more on working together to find solutions to shared problems than working against each other because of differing beliefs, experiences, and prejudices.
Yeah, I guess you could say the song did its job. For me anyway. I hope (and even prayā¦not that Iām the āprayingā type) that it was more than just a viral tv moment. That maybeājust maybeāthe Democratic leadership is starting to understand they have let most of US downā¦just like THEM:
What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
Oh, what about love? What about trust?
What about us?
As Iāve said before, the world doesnāt need another political pundit. So Iāll skip the rest of my opinions about politics. But I encourage you to listen to the song (with an open heart and mind) and consider how YOU can become a bigger, brighter searchlight.
Thanks for reading!
Clint
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9.00 am in Thailand on Saturday. I am unrepentant as an academic - I love words. Indeed, I am saddened that my vocabulary is less accessible to me now because I speak a much simplied English here.
Have a restful and pleasant weekend. [heart]
Is it possible that I have found a kindred spirit? I have strong criticisms of most national politicians and governments in the world. So many seem to be more interested in themselves, their power and their financial gain. They are not serving the public, their constituents, but are self-serving.
Philosophcally, rather than party politics, I am slightly left wing and, while valuing economic security, I put more priority on humanitarian values. As I was in the 70s, "personal is political" and "no form of discrimination or disempowerment will end until all forms of discrimination or disempowerment end".